A bug’s life: Investigate the insect world online

From ants to arachnids: Learn all about bugs this summer

By Doug O'Neill

Graydon Vintar’s fascination with bugs is typical of most boys: “Bugs can really creep people out, and I like creeping people out,” he says. “They are like little freaky humans.” Even so, insect-obsessed Graydon has an inkling there’s something more to the insect world than frightening his older sister. “People always say that bugs will outlive all of us, so it’s a good idea to know about them.”

For the love of bugs

But where to begin? A practical way for youngsters to get going on their insect journey is by assessing their bug knowledge with a quiz on Petbugs.com.

Next, check out some of Graydon’s favourite sites.

3D Insects is the brain child of Alexei A. Sharov, a Ph.D. research scientist at Virginia Tech. Visitors can observe a German cockroach, a black widow spider and a water strider from every angle.
The University of Kentucky Entomology site satisfies Graydon’s hunger for the scoop on edible bugs. (Yuck!)
The Western Exterminator Company. “This site is also great for my younger brother, Luka. You can print out a ladybug, butterfly, spider, moth and creepier ones such as fleas and earwigs. There are also cartoony-type bugs such as Kathy Kreepykrawly.”

Reality bites

There are many web sites about bugs. How can you tell if a site has valid and accurate information about bugs and insects?

Ross Haley, a science teacher with the Bluewater District School Board, a few hours northwest of Toronto, has been enthralling students with the life cycles of bugs for decades. He suggests users look for “edu” in the URL, which indicates a recognized educational web site. He also recommends the official web sites of zoos, entomological organizations and schools.

Here are some of Haley’s favourite sites.

The interactive and funky EcoKids has all manner of insect sound bytes.
The instructive Great Bug Hunt has little Jessica waking up to find her tomato patch decimated. The challenge is to find the 23 bugs in her garden — and figure out which are pests and which are cross pollinators.
Sci4Kids, produced by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, addresses serious topics in a playful manner (“What’s bugging scientists?”) and weird topics in a weird manner (“Recipe for Tick Soup: Just Add Roundworms or Fungi”).

A bug’s life

Haley’s preferred method of teaching kids about insects is to encourage students to spend lots of time observing insects in their natural habitat. This approach tends to generate realistic questions that kids can later investigate in reference books or online.

Lois Rowe, a science teacher at Toronto’s Havergal College, agrees. “If I were to teach the younger students about bugs, I’d start by getting them to build a bug while asking them to tell a story.

“To eat, what kind of mouth would your bug require? What would they need to capture food? If it were a beetle, what kind of protective covering would it need to defend itself?

“Then I’d send the youngsters to the Internet to research and play and come up with ideas. It wouldn’t matter if the bug they created had a head that was out of proportion; it’s more important that the young child have an idea of how it all works. That’s what fascinates and interests a child.”

For instruction on how to build your own insect, visit Let’s Talk About Insects and click on the “activities” in the Teachers’ section.

There are other fun and educational sites.

MSN Encarta. You can watch the metamorphosis of an aquatic nymph unfold before your very eyes.
The Yuckiest Site on the Internet has a section on Teaching with Bugs.

Friendly fascinations

Peer encouragement can be valuable, and Haley suggests checking out the student-created sites on ThinkQuest, where budding scientists compete in creating the best web sites. These two are worth viewing.

Hidden Beauty introduces visitors to the world of phasmids, stick insects, ghost insects and leaf insects.
Freaky Facts and Features of Creepy Creatures of the Rainforest — the sound bytes alone are worth a visit Go online and get creeped out — will fascinate you and your little ones.